Edmonton Eskimos GM Ed Hervey not afraid to use 'R' word

Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey watches players run plays during an Edmonton Eskimos practice at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Monday, June 17, 2013. The team heads to B.C. to face the Lions on Friday, June 21 for their second pre-season game. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

GERRY MODDEJONGE, QMI Agency

If it was anyone other than Ed Hervey, Edmonton Eskimos fans would have had reason to reach for the panic button.

As the team's new general manager announced a one-year extension for head coach Kavis Reed on Saturday, Hervey dropped a verbal bomb that is akin to raising a white flag on the season.

“You guys have been around me a long time, I'm not afraid to say what I want to say,” Hervey told a group of local reporters gathered in Guelph, Ont., for last Sunday's game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. “We're not afraid to admit that now we're rebuilding. We're rebuilding the way we want, but with the mindset of getting better.